Launch trajectories for launches from Florida

August 25, 2023 5:10 AM

Is there a good source for launch trajectories for launches from Florida?

I live about 5 hours north of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. Sometimes I can see rocket launches, particularly at night. But it seems to depend on the trajectory of the flight path. Yet the trajectory information isn't always readily available and that's a bummer if you're getting up at 3am to hopefully see a launch.

Is there a particular site that reliably posts the trajectory of rocket launches from Cape Canaveral? I've looked around on NASA's stuff, which do give a lot of information, but not trajectories, it seems.

Bonus question: The Crew 7 mission is launching tonight and based on this graphic from the Space X site (scroll down to "To The Space Station"), it's on a southeast trajectory, which probably limits my viewing opportunities from Savannah, Georgia.

But I don't know if it does and don't want to get up for 3:27am launch if there's no chance of me seeing it. For this and future launches, what's the best to figure out if I'll be able to a launch from the Cape if I'm viewing from Savannah, Georgia?

posted by Brandon Blatcher to Science & Nature (5 answers total)

The go-to person for rocket launches and space debris re-entry is Jonathan McDowell . He used to be quite active on Twitter. He would know where to get this kind of info if it is publicly available, or how to deduce it when that’s possible.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 5:21 AM on August 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

The term you are looking for is "launch azimuth" -- and if they are going to the ISS the azimuth will be about 45 degrees, which is north-east. This Kerbal Space Program video kinda explains the math.
posted by credulous at 11:12 AM on August 25, 2023

The SpaceX graphic for the Crew-7 launch on that page is very stylized and the trajectory is going to be much more northeasterly, just driven by orbital dynamics. Basically all SpaceX Dragon launches to the ISS are likely to follow very similar trajectories for that reason. Launches of satellites bound for geostationary orbit are likely to be more easterly and thus likely less visible for you.

Here is a guide on viewing rocket launches from Harris County in Georgia that you may find helpful. It has a lot of pictures and written info, and a link to the Space Force Space Launch Delta 45 page where they will post the notices of the launch hazard areas prior to each launch from Florida, which should give you a solid indication of the initial launch direction.

Tonight's launch will probably be a pretty good one for you to try and see, though not quite as spectacular as if it were timed closer to sunrise. Have fun observing!
posted by sigmagalator at 7:17 PM on August 25, 2023

First, you said "NASA", but only a small fraction of the launches from Cape Canaveral are actually launches of NASA spacecraft -- most are commercial and military satellites. Further, NASA operates Kennedy Space Center, but that's only the two northernmost launch pads; most of the rest (about a dozen) are south of there in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (used to be CCAFS). The best way to refer to the entire area is "the Cape." Just to get that nomenclature out of the way first.

I can't point you to a single, easy resource for launch azimuth, but can point you to a couple things that together cover them:

- the NextSpaceFlight website (and fantastic phone app!) is your best resource for upcoming launches, but they only show inclination (what others here have been calling "azimuth") for those launches where it's been made public

- once you see a launch is coming up per the site above, the related NASASpaceFlight forums will have a thread for each and every launch, categorized by origin country / rocket, and in there space observers will have documented the inclination if known

- this guy Raul maintains a Google Map of SpaceX launches, including the NOTAM areas (keepout zones) that have been announced to mariners; those rectangles on the Atlantic tell you which way the rocket is going

- see above NASASpaceFlight forums for non-SpaceX NOTAMs; even military spy sat launches have to publish NOTAMs, so you can see which way they are going

FYI, next Tuesday morning there is a scheduled launch of an Atlas rocket. Because the Atlas has a particularly long first stage burn, 3.something minutes instead of 2.something, it's much easier to see from very far away. Go try to see that one, even in daylight -- I will!

Finally, if you are reading this in time, the Crew-7 launch at 3:27am on Saturday morning is on a Falcon 9 heading to ISS, so that's going up the US eastern seaboard and will totally be visible all the way up the coast, especially in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
posted by intermod at 8:02 PM on August 25, 2023

Response by poster: Thanks all! Woke up to see launch, but saw nothing. Was looking east and south east on mostly flat land, sky was clear, could see stars, but alas no rocket's red glare. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong or it's just not possible to see from Savannah. Did see a contrail from a day launch once, so perhaps that's as good as it gets.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:51 AM on August 26, 2023